Vikas Krishan, Naman Tanwar aim to continue Indian winning streak
Both men will be hoping to make it to their respective quarter-finals.
Following yet another day of unbeaten form for India that saw Ashish Kumar, Manish Kaushik and Sachin Kumar win their Asian boxing Olympic qualifier matches, Friday will see the focus stay on the men, as Vikas Krishan and Naman Tanwar take to the ring for the first time this week.
Both bouts will take place during the evening session, with Vikas Krishan going up against Kyrgyzstan's Nursultan Mamataly in the men’s welterweight (63-69kg) category.
Following that, Naman Tanwar will face Syria's Alaa Aldin Ghousoon in men's heavyweight (81-91kg).
Vikas Krishan’s final Olympic foray
Having been granted a first-round bye, ‘The Indian Tank’ Vikas Krishan will face Kyrgyzstan’s Nursultan Mamataly in the round of 16.
Vikas Krishan has contested the last two Olympics, experiencing early elimination in 2012 and making it to the men's middleweight (75kg) quarter-finals in 2016, where he lost to Uzbekistan's Bektemir Melikuziev.
Tokyo 2020 will be his final go at an Olympic medal. The bruiser from Bhiwani has plans to go professional after the 2020 Olympics. “This is my last chance and I’m going to perform,” Vikas Krishan told the Olympic Channel in an exclusive interview.
Naman Tanwar aiming for Olympic debut
In the men’s heavyweight (81-91kg) category, Naman Tanwar will square off against Syria’s Alaa Aldin Ghousoon on Friday evening, with the winner facing New Zealand’s David Nyika, on Sunday.
Back in December, Naman Tanwar earned his way into the qualifiers with a 6-3 split decision win against Naveen Kumar in the BFI trials.
Like Vikas Krishan, the six-feet-three-inch Naman Tanwar too originates from Bhiwani. His highest achievement till date is a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Going forward at the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers
With a win on Thursday, Vikas Krishan will move on to the quarter-final, where he will fight the winner of the round-of-16 bout between no. 3 seed Japan’s Okazawa Sewonrets Quincy Mensah and Chinese Taipei’s Hung-Ming Pan.
For Naman Tanwar, a win will put him in the ring with New Zealand's David Nyika in the quarter-final. The second-seeded Nyika received a round-of-16 bye, moving him straight to the quarters.
When and where to watch the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers
You can follow all the action from the Asia/Oceania Boxing Qualification live exclusively on the Olympic Channel as well as our Facebook page. The morning session will get underway at 1:30 PM IST while the evening session is scheduled to begin at 8:30 PM IST.
You can also follow the daily live blog in both English and Hindi on the Olympic Channel.